The “How of Life
A Sermon by Brent J. Eelman
This is the last in a series of four sermons which I have entitled “Four Questions of Life”. Previously, I wrestled with the questions: Why?, What? and Where? They are existential questions that plague humanity when it is most conscious.
This week, I was trying to come up with a clever way to sum up the previous 3 sermons as an introduction to this morning’s message. I came up with one word summaries for each question.
1. Why? Because!
2. What? You!
3. Where? Here!
“Why?” we ask when something goes wrong, when we are ill, when tragedy occurs.
“What?” we ask… what does it mean to be a human being, made in the image of God. What makes us any different than the millions of other species that are on this earth. What?
“Where?” we ask…Where do I fit in. Where
is home? Where do I belong.
This morning, the question is “How?” How do we live as followers of Jesus Christ in this world? How are we called to make a difference?
I Thessalonians 5: 1-11
Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters,* you do not need to have anything written to you. 2For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3When they say, ‘There is peace and security’, then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no escape! 4But you, beloved,* are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief; 5for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness. 6So then, let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober; 7for those who sleep sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night. 8But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him. 11Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.
The basic ethical dilemma of being a Christian in the modern world is how we live out our lives as witnesses to the Jesus Christ who we know as the light of the world? In the words of Paul: how do we live as “children of light” in a world that is often a dark place? How?
Ever since I could read, I have been a “news-aholic.” We subscribe to three daily newspapers, and read a host of other journals regularly. However, in the last decade, it has become harder and harder to read and digest the news, much less watch it on TV. It is numbing.
· Shootings that seem to occur regularly.
· Climate change and the resultant severe weather.
· Wildfires in Canada causing horrible health effects in the Midwest and northeast.
· War in Europe, and armed conflicts throughout the world.
· Political and social conflicts that are hurting communities, destroying families, and splitting churches.
It is numbing.
I need not comment further on the reality of how these events have not brought people together but rather they have exacerbated our divisions and the enmity that sets us against one another. Suffice it to say, the reality of darkness and the reach of the power of evil should not be questioned or doubted by any of us.
The bible is realistic about the omnipresence of evil in our lives. It does not sugar coat the pain and suffering we human beings often visit upon others. The significance of the cross is that darkness is real but is overcome by the light of Jesus Christ. The bible does, however, address the context in which we live, and calls us to be “children of light” in a world that seems content to dwell in darkness.
Paul wrote in his letter to the church at Thessalonica, “you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness.” Light and Darkness are metaphors for the reality with which we live daily. This morning, 1) I want to speak about the reality of evil in the world. 2) Second, I will address how we are to live as people of faith in the world. 3) Third, I would like to address the importance of a community of faith (the church) to our life in the world.
I
Evil is real. There is a part of each of us that would rather not acknowledge some of the realities of life. We do not like to be confronted with some of the darker events that are part of life on this earth. I am no different. As much as I value being informed, I often find myself turning off the radio or the TV, if the news or the topic is particularly unpleasant. When I was parent with a child at home, I wanted to desperately shield her from the dark realities of this world. That is part of being a parent. Often this is rooted in our own pain and the psychological and spiritual wounds that we carry through life.
One of the most difficult moments in my ministry occurred over 25 years ago. A young woman, a member of our youth fellowship and a participant in Sunday school, was brutally murdered in a savage manner. I will never forget the funeral service. There were nearly 500 high school students present in the sanctuary. Amidst the tears and the sobbing, there was this hollow look of bewilderment on their faces. This was not supposed to happen.
The day after the service, I spoke with the Christian Educator at the church and asked to see the curriculum that we were using in Sunday school. I wanted to see what it said about evil. How did it treat the darkness that often comes over events. Did it offer insights into the reality of evil? It didn’t.
The late Rabbi, Abraham Heschel wrote:
“We have denied our young people of the knowledge of the dark side of life. They see a picture of ease, play, and fun. That life includes hardships, illness, grief, even agony; that many hearts are sick with bitterness, resentfulness, envy—are facts of which young people have hardly an awareness… In our classroom we shy away from fundamental issues. How should one deal with evil? What shall one do about envy? What is the meaning of honesty? How should one face the problem of loneliness? What has religion to say about war and violence? About indifference and evil?”
He wrote those words in the mid 60’s.
There is another type of evil that is systemic. The apostle Paul referred to this reality as the “principalities and powers.” Systemic evil denotes diabolical structures that perpetuate misery, corruption, and wrongdoing. It’s like a machine that functions without any real control or oversight by any individual. None of us perpetuates this evil individually or even consciously, yet it benefits some and grinds others into poverty, pain, and despair.
The truth is that often our world is characterized by darkness and the power evil, and we go to great lengths to shield ourselves from this reality. We build fences and walls, some psychological, some made from wood and stone, so that we are isolated and feel safe. But evil and the powers of darkness still touch all aspects of our lives, and every now and then we are dramatically reminded of this. Evil is insidious and it taints the best of us. Evil is even present in our most magnanimous and selfless actions. (This is what the reformers meant by total depravity).
We ignore this reality in the world and in ourselves at our own peril. Christians, called to be children of light cannot stick their heads in the sand. Neither should we fall into cynicism and despair, and many do. NO! We are people of the Good News! As children of light, we are called to point to the true light, indeed, the hope of the world. Jesus Christ.
II
Living as people of faith: Paul wrote the Thessalonians and stated, “You are all children of light, not of the darkness.” This can become a meaningless platitude. We need to struggle with How we function as children of light in the darkness that seems to be so much a part of life on this planet?
The Gospel of John begins with these words about Jesus: in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. Living as children of light is a call to:
a. Affirm that the true light and hope of the world was embodied by Christ. More often than not we favor the lesser lights of life:
· people we admire (particularly celebrities and athletes),
· people who are in positions of power and authority.
Our admiration (and even worship) of these lesser lights keeps us from witnessing and Pointing to the true light of the world.
b. Living as children of light is a call to shine the light of truth in the darkest places of life’s existence. Evil has a way of preferring the shadows and the dark corners of existence. Children of light are called:
· to illumine the dark places;
· We are called to speak the truth in love to the world; Evil by its very nature creates confusion. We are in the midst of an epistemic crisis where the very nature truth is obscured.
· We are called to acknowledge the darkness is that is often in our lives and our hearts.
I am intrigued by mystery stories and the role of the detective in those stories. Those who study literature have suggested that the mystery story is the last Christian archetype in fiction. The mystery begins with an evil act. The characters are surrounded by darkness. The detective solves the mystery by shining the light of truth upon the events, and illuminating those events that occurred, hidden in the shadows. In the end, the truth prevails and goodness triumphs over evil.
Living as children of light is a call: to illumine the dark places of human life with the brightness of truth. It also means bringing:
· the light of hope to the hopeless;
· the light of love to the unloved;
· the light of shelter to the homeless;
· the light of healing to ill;
· the light of peace to those who victimized by violence.
· the light of condemnation to those who foment violence and to the merchants of death.
c. Living as children of light is a call to confession of our own sinfulness and the presence of darkness in our own lives. Darkness dwells in each of us. Allow me continue with the metaphor of the detective. In order for a detective to solve the mystery, she or he must be able to think like the perpetrator of the crime. In other words a detective cannot be naïve about her own capacity for evil. She often depends upon her own intimacy with the powers of darkness and evil in order to bring the truth into the light. Self-knowledge of our own shortcomings and our own propensity for sinful behavior is also integral to being children of light.
III
This is not something that we can do on our own. It takes tremendous moral courage to live as a child of light in this world. It takes the support and the love of others in order to shine the light of truth and the hope of the gospel in the darker places of human existence. It requires a community of faith and support. That is why we gather together to worship, study and pray. That is how we find strength to live with hope and expectation…. Hope—even in this moment!
There is a price that is often paid by those who tell the truth in a culture where darkness and secrecy abide. All of us need a safe place, a safe community, a collection of people who will love and support us as we rise to Paul’s challenge to be the children of light.
Finally, as a community of faith we need to educate our children about the reality of evil in the world. We cannot shield them from this reality and they need to know and understand it. Our youth need to also recognize this inclination within their own behavior.
In dealing with the question, “how are we to live in this world,” I have endeavored to be realistic about the world we inhabit. Realism tends to acknowledge the darkness. I am, however, hopeful about the life and the future. Christian hope is grounded in realism, not wishful thinking. I am hopeful
· Because I see people giving of their time and resources to help assist others in the name of Christ.
· Because I am part of a church that is not content to be a Sunday’s only place, but endeavors to live out the commission of Matthew 25 in its life and mission.
· Because I hear others finding the courage to speak the truth in love to me, to others, and to this world.
· I am hopeful because I know that God so loved this world… that he gave is son for you and for me.. and for this world… indeed God’s world.
I am hopeful For we are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness.
So then, let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. This is a call to let the light of Christ shine within us and illumine this world. Amen.
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